After the war
by PotterNerd94
Summary: The Weasleys, Harry and his twin sister grieve after the war - I promise it's not your average twin story! Angsty and fluffy in places.
1. Chapter 1

**Living with the pain/Choosing to live**

**Ok so I guess I should briefly explain this. This is my first ever fanfiction, although I have loads of ideas for others. Obviously most of the characters are from the lovely J.K but Daisy is my O.C, she is Harry's twin sister. Also, I changed the background quite a bit but I'm not sure yet whether or not it will affect this story much. In the plan for my other fanfiction, Lily and James were never killed so Harry and Daisy grew up with them and had happy childhoods for the most part. Lily, James and Remus were at the battle of Hogwarts but were killed during the battle. Anyway, I hope you guys like this, as I said, it's my first fanfiction and no one but me has read it yet so I welcome reviews!**

**From PotterNerd94 **

* * *

He knew, before he was even fully conscious he knew. It was just another dream.

George had dreamt about Fred every night since the war, in total, 62 times. Today was July 2nd, exactly two months since the battle at Hogwarts and nothing felt any better. He had hoped that in time his chest would feel less heavy, his eyes less glazed and his mind less sluggish but still, two months after the war, 62 excruciating days, George felt the grief as if it only happened yesterday.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, trying to calm his breathing and slow his pounding heart. Light shone through the gap in the curtain, reminding George that the days kept moving on, the sun kept shining and people kept living, well most of them.

He took a deep breath and sat up, slid out from under the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Sure, his movements were robotic but George was thankful that he could make himself do anything at all. Another deep breath and he stood up, stretched and got dressed. With another thing done, George planned his next actions: open the curtain, get breakfast and open the shop.

* * *

She woke up with tears flowing freely down her cheeks. July 2nd. It had been exactly 2 months since the battle. 62 days since she lost her parents, her best friend, her godfather and her mentor and not a day had gone by that she hadn't cried for them.

Every day was the same. She would wake up in the room she shared with Ginny and Hermione at the Burrow, eat breakfast, crack jokes, help George with the shop and then return to the Burrow to comfort her adopted family, her friends and her brother, Harry. It was only at night when she allowed the tears to fall silently before succumbing to a sleep haunted with the faces of the dead.

Daisy had always been strong, always the fighter, the one who protected others. This was why she felt she had to comfort the Weasleys and Harry; she felt she had to be strong for them. Daisy thought back to the day after the battle...

_They were all sat in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Harry. They had had time for tears, for shouting and for falling apart but Mrs Weasley was struggling to breathe without choking on her tears. With Mr Weasley currently sitting with Ginny, Daisy got up and sat next to Mrs Weasley, a woman whom she had always admired, wrapped her arms around her and let her sob until her tears soaked her shoulder. _

Staring up at the ceiling Daisy recalled how each person had cried on her shoulders at least once since the battle, how they had relied on Daisy to help them through it and yet she had refused all comfort from everyone, even Harry. Ginny, who had always seen Daisy as a sister, thought that it was just her way of coping.

"Daisy, mum says breakfast is ready. I think she's cooked enough food for a circus though so no need to hurry," Ginny called from across the room.

"Thank you Ginny," croaked Daisy, her voice husky from the lack of use. She planned the day ahead: Breakfast, help George at the shop, have lunch, help George at the shop, back to the Burrow, dinner, sleep. It was no different to yesterday, or the day before, but it helped her to feel calm if she knew exactly how she was going to proceed. 'Like a battle plan' she thought wryly. With this she groaned and got up, prepared for another monotonous day.

* * *

He told himself to breathe in, breathe out and concentrate, breathe in, breathe out and concentrate. Repeat.

He opened his eyes and looked away from the mirror. He hated how hopeful his reflection made him, every time and he knew that it must be painful for his family and friends to look at him too. With a jolt he realised that someone was talking to him. He dragged his mind away from memories of the battle and looked at Daisy, his best friend and the girl of his dreams.

She looked disappointed but carried on speaking as if nothing had happened. In all honesty, she knew that George wasn't coping. She knew about his dreams. She knew that it hurt to look at his reflection. Yet she stayed with him throughout, she was always there. She missed George, his smile, the way his eyes shone when he laughed or when he kissed her. She knew that she could never get Fred back, or Remus, or Tonks or even her parents but she needed George to find himself again.

"...those girls said about the witch section of the shop, George, I think they were right. Do you think you could come up with any ideas for products? I could brainstorm too and then we can choose our favourites?" said Daisy, choosing to ignore his obvious lack of interest.

George forced himself to nod, he didn't really want to make an effort but he knew that he should, for Fred. Daisy kept prattling on about how they really should tidy the shop and re-stocks some of the shelves before customers arrived, she was trying to keep a conversation flowing to bring some normality back to their lives, but George just felt irritated.

"I don't care Daisy. I don't care. It's just a shop, they're just people. None of this means anything! It means nothing! I don't care so why should you!" George shouted at the top of his lungs. It wasn't until after he'd finished shouting that he realised how loud he had been, and how much he had startled Daisy.

Daisy picked up the bottles of love potions that she had dropped on the floor, took a deep breath and replied, "I care about you because I love you and I care about the shop because Fred cared, George." She re-stacked the shelf with love potions and went out back with the pretext of getting more but really it was so she could hide her tears.

When she returned, she acted as if nothing had happened but George knew he had gone too far when he saw her red-rimmed eyes, he just couldn't find it in himself to care.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi, so this didn't get much of a response, could somebody maybe leave me a review to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Constructive criticism would be very much appreciated. :)**

Back at the Burrow, Daisy was eating dinner at the table with the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione. They were talking, but not about anything in particular, and from across the table Harry could see that his sister was struggling. He had known all along that they were relying on her too much, that even though she had suffered too, she was still putting others first, and he was sick of it. He hated himself for taking advantage of his little sister and the sense of security that she always seemed to bring.

He decided to reach out to her, despite knowing that his twin would not respond the way he wanted her to, "Daisy, how was your day?"

She looked up, "Fine, normal, the shop was busy." She returned to her food but as she did so, Harry realised that she was just pushing the food around her plate with her fork rather than actually eating it.

"That's good. And how are you feeling?" asked Harry bluntly, he needed to force the answer out of her and if he tried in front of all the Weasleys then Mrs Weasley would most likely not let Daisy back down without giving a proper answer.

"Fine, tired I guess. Like I said, the shop was busy," Daisy replied whilst staring down at her food, she really didn't have much of an appetite. She heard the silence after her words so looked up and realised that they were all watching her. She looked at Harry, "What?" she asked.

"You're lying to me Daisy, that's what. Tell me honestly, how are you feeling?"

Daisy looked mutinous as she realised that Harry had deliberately asked in front of everyone. "I'm not lying to you Harry, I honestly am tired," and with that she vanished the food from her plate, got up and went to the room she shared with Ginny upstairs.

'He had no right to ask me that, in front of everyone no less' she thought as she changed into her pyjamas. "I'm supposed to look after _them_, not the other way around" she grumbled as she closed her eyes, succumbing, once again, to a restless sleep.

Downstairs, Ginny worriedly asked George if everything was okay at the shop, sure that something different had happened as neither Daisy nor George had looked at each other the entire night. However, George got angry and defensive. He threw his chair to the floor as he stood up and strode across the room and out the door, leaving his family behind him. He needed a drink.

* * *

A dull thudding feeling pulled George away from his restless dreams and back to awareness. In his desperation to escape the dreams from the night before, he opened his eyes, the light blinding him. In his inebriated state he had forgotten to close the curtain last night and the sunlight burnt his eyes. He needed a hangover potion and a glass of water for his parched mouth so, with effort, he sat up, got out of bed and crept to the kitchen, being careful not to make any sudden movements that would only make the thudding in his head worse.

From the moment she arrived to find the shop still closed and the vomit on the stairs, Daisy knew what state George would be in. She had found him in a drunken stupor too many times since Fred died. At first she would try to comfort him, to help him clean up and then feed him, only to have his angry outbursts be directed at her. Eventually, Daisy began to leave him to eat alone; she would cook him breakfast and leave him a hangover potion to drink while she opened the shop and this allowed George time to recover and Daisy time to be alone with her thoughts.

Just after midday, George came downstairs to find that Daisy had once again taken care of the shop in his absence. He knew that he shouldn't keep leaving Daisy to run the shop alone but he didn't care. He couldn't make himself care about anything. Even Daisy.

As he stood in the doorway behind the till, he remembered how he used to feel about her and wondered if he'd ever feel that again – or even, if he'd feel anything at all.

He closed his eyes and told himself to breathe in, breathe out and concentrate, breathe in, breathe out and concentrate. Repeat.

He then opened his eyes and carried on with his day as if everything was normal. As if he hadn't spent the previous night in the Hog's Head drinking more Firewhiskeys than he could remember. As if he hadn't then spent a restless night dreaming of Fred for the 63rd time. As if he didn't notice Daisy constantly watching him.

* * *

After the evening of 2nd July, Harry vowed to take care of his sister properly so that she would have time to grieve. He loved his sister very much, they were twins and had spent their childhoods in the happy company of their parents, Sirius and Remus, all of whom were now gone. Harry felt a wave of guilt crash over him, not only for the deaths of his family, but also for leaving Daisy with the burden of helping all the Weasleys, Hermione and himself while he dealt with his own grief and guilt.

It was late afternoon on the 3rd of July and Harry was lying next to Ginny on the sofa while Ron and Hermione were cuddled on the armchair. Trying hard not to wake her, Harry let go of Ginny's hand and went upstairs to see Daisy.

He found her lying on her bed just staring at the ceiling and he walked over to lie with her, side by side so their arms were touching.

"Hi, what's up?" asked Daisy. Really, she was fully aware of why he was with her but she didn't want to make it easier for him, after all, it hadn't been easy for her.

"I want to look after you, Daisy, you are my little sister"

"Little," she scoffed.

"Well I am older than you" he replied, they had had this argument a lot throughout their childhood, it had become a routine.

"By seven minutes," she said, smiling. It was normal, bickering with Harry. She missed how it used to be; Voldemort may have been alive but at least she had her family.

"Daisy, I'm sorry," Harry whispered. Somehow they always found it easier to talk about their feeling with one another if they were whispering.

"Don't be," she whispered back, "You have nothing to be sorry for you daft git".

He knew she was going to make him spell it out, whether deliberately or as force of habit, so he did, to make it easier on them both. He explained that he had been selfish to rely so much on Daisy and give nothing in return and that he wanted to now help her through her grief.

"Do you still dream about them Daisy?" asked Harry, still whispering.

"Yes." Daisy had been having strange dreams for years. They were dreams of people who had died but they weren't just dreams, they were real. Daisy had explained a couple of years ago that she saw them from the other side of the veil but as they couldn't speak to her, they just stared. Now the 50 people who died during the battle of Hogwarts had joined the likes of Sirius, Dumbledore, Mad-eye and Bathilda. Harry wondered how on earth she coped. And then he saw her eyes.

They were red rimmed and slightly bloodshot, she had deep bags under her eyes and she was very pale and skinny. Harry could have kicked himself for not realising sooner, she wasn't coping at all; she was numb. He asked her if this was how she felt, already knowing the truth but needing the confirmation, "Yes," she said, "but I'm hopeful."

"Hopeful?" said Harry, his voice barely a whisper.

"That George will smile again; that he'll come back to me; that the dreams will stop; that things will be alright again. I know that I'll start to feel myself again eventually but these are my priorities."

"Ok, you can talk to me, Daisy, whenever you want, you know that right? I'm going to look after you from now on ok?" whispered Harry. Daisy yawned and smiled a small smile, "ok Harry, thanks. I'm tired; will you stay with me while I sleep?"

Harry's only response was to take her hand and turn to face her so he could watch her while she slept, safe in the knowledge that she wasn't alone for once. He watched as her eyes closed and her breathing evened out and eventually he fell asleep beside her, still holding her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just realised that I haven't put the disclaimer thing on before - Not that anyone would believe that this is J.K's but here it goes - All characters you recognise are J.K's and Daisy is mine. Please Read and Review :)**

It was July 31st, Harry and Daisy's 18th birthday and their first without their parents. Harry awoke to the smell of bacon and opened his eyes to see the blurry ceiling of the room he shared with Ron at The Burrow. He reached out and put on his glasses.

From across the room Ron called, "Happy birthday mate," and he chucked his present over to Harry. He looked awkward and stared down at his feet as he said, "Look mate, I know this'll be a hard day for you both but, erm, well, I think you should know that you and Daisy, well, you'll be family to me forever. You know that right?"

Harry's heart lurched as he risked a glance towards his best friend of seven years.

"Yeah, erm, thanks mate. That means a lot."

"Good. Open your present; Mum says breakfast is almost ready and that you should go wake Daisy up. She seems to think that you two might like a private minute," he said as he left the room.

Harry opened his present, new quidditch gloves, got dressed and went to Ginny's room where he knew Daisy to be sleeping. He knocked on the door but there was no response so he slowly entered, calling out to check that Daisy was decent before he entered.

He found Daisy sitting on the end of her bed with a small wrapped present. She smiled at him and said, "Hey, happy birthday brother."

Harry closed the door and walked over to sit next to her. He conjured her present and they swapped, each knowing exactly what their present would be; every year, as a running joke, Harry would give Daisy a pack of sweets while she would give him a chocolate bar.

"Harry, how did you know? This is exactly what I wanted!" she exclaimed, attempting a small smile.

"Daisy, it's our first birthday without them, we _can_ do this, right?" he asked, attempting to reassure her but accidentally exhibiting his doubts.

"Of course we can," she scoffed. "It's only a birthday, what's so brilliant about birthdays anyway?"

That evening, Molly Weasley had arranged a small dinner for Harry and Daisy, inviting Hagrid, Andromeda Tonks and little Teddy. The dinner was delicious and there was plenty of laughter and smiles. To an outsider, the scene would have seemed happy but it was clear to Harry that every laugh was forced. The tension in the room was palpable as Mrs Weasley fretted over her absent son and Daisy tried to soothe her by cracking jokes.

Once dinner was over and Hagrid had left, Mr and Mrs Weasley and Andromeda were washing up in the kitchen while Bill, Fleur, Charlie and Percy sat in the living room watching Ginny and Harry lose a game of wizarding chess to Ron and Hermione. Daisy was sat in the corner playing with a four month old Teddy Lupin.

The back door slammed open and George staggered into the living room and saluted to the family before vomiting in the vase nearest to him. Bill jumped up to try to help him while Fleur ran to keep Mr and Mrs Weasley in the kitchen; they didn't need to see their son in this state again, Bill would sort him out.

However, in his inebriated state, George shoved Bill away from him and started to make a scene. Daisy passed Teddy over to Ginny and stood to help Bill with George. She had been around a drunken George many times and was quite familiar with his behaviour.

George was staggering around the room shouting incoherent words angrily at his brothers who, for the most part, were attempting to placate him when Daisy caught his attention.

George stopped, his breath caught in his throat; she was beautiful, she was stunning, she was not who he wanted to see standing before him.

"YOU!" he shouted at her. "What the hell do you t-t-think you're d-doing here?" he slurred.

Hermione and Percy, who had never seen George drunk, were shocked but Daisy was unsurprised by his behaviour. She took a deep breath to calm herself before taking a step towards him.

It was a big mistake.

He growled and swung his arms out, thankfully missing her but catching the vase that he had previously vomited in, throwing it across the room and smashing it against the opposite wall.

Mr and Mrs Weasley came rushing into the room, no longer able to just ignore their son's increasingly violent behaviour.

Mr Weasley tried to calm his son but George just shouted at his father until –

"GEORGE!" Daisy shouted from across the room. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, "George, I understand that you are angry and upset and grieving but there is _no_ need to take it out on your family."

George's eyes glinted and his cheeks turned an even darker red, "Oh you understand do you?" he said menacingly, his voice becoming steadily louder as he continued, "You understand how I'm feeling? You think you can even comprehend how empty I feel without him? You think you understand what it feels like to lose your TWIN?"

The family was too stunned to speak, Harry felt he should defend his sister but before he could open his mouth, she spoke.

"No, you're right, I don't _really_ know how you're feeling but I lost Harry too George, however briefly, and I lost my parents and my godfather and my best friend, so yes, I do vaguely understand how you're feeling. Your parents lost a son. Teddy will never meet his parents. You are _not_ the only one grieving, George," she said calmly.

Before anyone could react George reached for his wand and blasted Daisy backwards into the wall and shouted, "How dare you? You're nothing Daisy. I wish you were dead instead of him!"

Bill and Charlie were holding him with his arms behind his back as he struggled, dropping his wand and resorting to brute force. Apart from the scuffling from their struggle, the room was silent. Harry stared at his sister as she stood up and brushed the hair out of her leaking eyes.

"Fine," she said, so quietly that they had to strain to hear her. "I'm glad you finally said it out loud."

And with one last longing look towards George she turned and walked out, ignoring the protests and calls for her to come back, ignoring her brother as he followed her down the garden, a little way behind her.

Harry panicked as his sister reached the gate, knowing that she would be able to apparate and instinctively knowing that she would go somewhere far away.

"Daisy!" he called, the panic causing his voice to raise an octave. "Daisy, please, stop for just a minute!"

She passed the fence and whirled around to glare at him from just beyond the protective boundaries of The Burrow. Her red hair was messy, her hazel eyes were blazing and her tears were making her cheeks glisten. "What?" she whispered.

"He's an arse," he whispered back; when she didn't smile, Harry sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to make her stay. "Please at least tell me where you're going?"

"Somewhere sunny," she whispered before disapparating and leaving Harry standing alone in the semi-darkness.

**Sorry, I know it's a bit short compared to others, I'm going away for the weekend so I'll post another chapter on Monday. Hit the review button please, constructive criticism is welcome :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, unfortunately I am still not the lovely J.K (even though I wished to be her for my birthday wish). On the bright side, my exams are over so I can write whenever I want! Anyway, please read and review, as always, constructive criticism is very welcome! :)**

He apparated to the Burrow and took a deep breath. It was his first time back since the fight, having been told by his disappointed father to not return until he had sorted himself out. Looking back, George was ashamed of his actions, not only because he disappointed his father, who had always remained neutral in all family disputes, but because he couldn't believe how badly he had treated Daisy.

Taking another deep breath to steady himself, he walked up the garden path towards the back door of the Burrow and knocked before opening the door hesitantly.

He found almost his entire family there, staring at him. His mother was with him before he could even say a word and was enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Georgie, we've missed you so much," she said into his shoulder.

He hugged his mother tightly and looked over her shoulder to his father as he said, "I'm so sorry."

Arthur Weasley nodded and took his son from his wife to give him a hug of his own.

"You look well, son," he said, patting him on the back before releasing him.

Looking around, George could see Bill and Fleur standing behind the sofa, Ron and Hermione were sitting on the sofa, half twisted from their original positions to face him, Ginny was crouched on the floor and Harry was sat on the edge of the armchair looking at maps and weather forecasts and an old, leather book. They were all watching George, wide-eyed, with the exception of Harry who, apart from a slight tightening of his jaw, seemed oblivious to his appearance.

George cleared his throat. "Hi."

Silence was his only response.

"I'm sorry, not just for that night but for everything. I just kind of... well, I fell apart after..." he cleared his throat again, "...after Fred died. I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Oh you're sorry?" said Harry in a small voice. He was still leaning over the coffee table and was struggling to control his anger.

Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him but he shrugged it off before standing to face George, who was shocked to see the vehemence on his face.

"You come back after weeks and all you can say is sorry?" said Harry, his voice dangerously low. "You come back here after treating my sister like she's nothing – like she's worse than nothing – and you don't even have the decency to ask where she is? Why she isn't here?"

George looked around, he had indeed noticed that she wasn't present and _had _thought it strange considering that everyone else was present. He _hadn't_ however, put two and two together.

"Where is she?" he asked in a small voice.

Molly and Arthur exchanged glances while Ron and Hermione became suddenly very interested with their hands.

"She's _somewhere sunny_," said Harry bitterly.

"What?"

Harry was seething. "She left after the _incident_ and hasn't come back yet. It's been over three weeks and she _still_ hasn't come home – because of you, you spineless, despicable coward."

Arthur stepped forward, holding up his hand to stop Harry.

"Now that's enough, I want no more fighting in my house, do you understand?" she said to both Harry and George. "George, son, you look healthy again, I assume you've sobered up?"

"Yes, Dad, I haven't touched a drop since you told me enough was enough. Dad, please - tell me everything. Where's Daisy gone?"

Harry interrupted, "I told you, she went _somewhere sunny_. That's all she told me and we can't find her. She's not at home, she's not at Grimmauld Place, or Hogwarts, or Diagon Alley, or Neville's or Luna's. We can't find her; we don't think she's even in the country, George." He paused, looking down at his feet as he tried to calm himself to no avail.

He looked up at George with fresh tears threatening to fall down his cheeks and said, "She left and it's your fault. My sister, George."

Ginny stood to face Harry; she rested her forehead against his and grasped his hand tightly. George stood frozen – it felt, for a moment, as if his heart stopped beating.

He walked slowly past his parents, past his brothers and past Harry and Ginny to crouch next to the coffee table looking at the maps and weather forecasts before reaching for the leather book. It was Daisy's journal. With a jolt he remembered a conversation he'd had with her once, a year before the battle:

"_Daisy it's nothing special, just tell me," he whined._

_She smiled and said, "Ok fine, yellow – my favourite colour is yellow. Next question."_

"_Favourite animal?" he asked, already guessing the answer._

"_Owl," she replied – he was right._

"_Favourite country?"_

"_Oh, you mean other than good ol'battle worn England?" she said laughing. "I think Australia."_

_George was shocked, "Australia?" he asked. "Why Australia, it's so far away!"_

"_Exactly, nobody there would know us! And, although I've only ever met one Australian, they all seem really friendly! And it's sunny, I swear it's always sunny and I love the sun."_

With a jolt, George realised where she would be –

"Australia," he said, standing to face Harry and his family.

"She'll be in Australia, it's always sunny and the people are friendly," he said with a small, sad smile.

"But Australia's a huge place, how do you expect us to find her there?" Harry asked George.

But Ron interrupted, "We found 'Mione's parents, we can definitely find Daisy."

But as it turns out, a witch who doesn't want to be found is infinitely harder to trace than two muggle dentists.


	5. Chapter 5

**Unfortunately I am _still_ not the lovely J.K. so this is _still_ only a silly little story. If you're reading this then i hope that you're having a lovely week.**

**Keep your head up and keep smiling. :)**

It was hot; she could feel a bead of sweat trickling down her face as she awoke from unconsciousness. She opened her eyes, braced to see the sun shining brightly through her half open curtains. They were blowing in the slight breeze coming in through the open window and Daisy could hear the sounds of muggles walking down the street outside her flat.

She sighed in contentment; she loved it here. She loved waking up with the sun shining on her face. She loved walking along the beach with her feet in the clear, blue water. She loved the small muggle cafe where she worked as a waitress and she loved her new muggle friends. But mostly, she loved that none of the people she had met knew about the war; she could be anything she wanted to be.

She got up and changed quickly out of her sweaty pyjama top and shorts into a thin summer dress before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

She laughed when she caught sight of herself in the mirror; her red hair resembled a bird's nest and the make-up she had worn the night before was smudged across her face. She smiled as she remembered the previous night...

"_Daisy! We're here, we know you're ready, you're always early, come on!" called Sally from just outside Daisy's flat. They had first met at work and they had quickly become good friends, to the point where Sally had introduced Daisy to her friends, Holly and Meg._

"_Hold on, I'm coming," she replied, grabbing her bag and opening the door. She rummaged for her keys and subtly checking that her wand was in there before closing the door behind her._

"_Jeez, what took you so long, Daze?" said Holly, and Daisy laughed at her new nickname – sure, her family had shortened it to 'Dais' before but this had a different meaning. When they first became friends, Sally, Holly and Meg had noticed that Daisy spent a lot of time in a daze, and from there the teasing had started._

"_Shush Holly, I don't know what you're talking about, I was perfectly on time," said Daisy._

_They headed to town, which was only a ten minute walk from Daisy's flat and met Meg outside a bar._

"_Hey Sally, there's this great guy inside called Greg, he's dying to meet you," said Meg as she gave them the drinks she had bought while she waited._

"_No, no, no Meg! I will not have you set me up again. I don't need a boyfriend," Sally said, shaking her head, "Maybe Daisy does?"_

_They all turned to look at her expectantly and when she shook her head frantically Holly said, "Well why not? You've been here for, what, six weeks now; surely you want to meet someone?"_

"_No, no, definitely not," she said._

_They ignored all her protests and introduced her to Greg who, despite being a perfect gentleman, did not interest Daisy in the slightest – she couldn't help but compare him to George. _

She sat at the kitchen table, her bowl now empty, and thought about the people she left behind. She thought about Harry. She knew she should have written to him a long time ago, at least to let him know she was ok, but she couldn't face it. She sat there for another twenty minutes before deciding to do what she knew she should do all along.

She rummaged for some parchment and one of the muggle pens she had lying around and penned a small note to her brother.

_Harry,_

_I'm safe, I'm healthy, I'm happy. I hope you are too. I'm sorry for not writing sooner, I don't really have an excuse, if I were in your shoes, I'd be mighty angry. _

_I don't know when I'll be back, or even if I will – maybe you should come here someday? I don't know. What I do know though is that I need you to be ok by yourself for a while. _

_Keep your head up and keep smiling, brother, and most importantly, be good to yourself._

_I love you,_

_Daisy. _

She put the letter in an envelope and attached a stamp to the top right corner, planning to send it via the muggle post, knowing that the house where they lived before the war would receive it and that Harry would definitely return there at some point, if he hadn't already.

* * *

Harry was sitting under the tree at the Burrow with his head in his hands. He was very tired; Harry and Kingsley had spoken at the trials of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy today, defending them. It had gone well, they were free while Lucius was imprisoned, and while the trial itself had not bothered Harry in the slightest, the events afterwards had left Harry thinking.

_He stood outside the courtroom talking with a group of fellow wizards of the wizengamot when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Draco Malfoy standing behind him and he smiled before politely saying goodbye to the elderly wizards around him._

"_What do you want Malfoy?" he asked as soon as they were out of ear-shot._

"_To apologise, and thank you I guess. You saved my life twice and then saved my mother and I from Azkaban when I was never anything but cruel to you," he said quickly. Harry noticed that he looked nervous and scared but mostly, he looked healthier._

"_Stop, Malfoy," said Harry, holding up his hand. "I appreciate that you were thrown into circumstances that you couldn't control because of your parents and made some bad decisions. You and I will never be friends but there is absolutely no need to thank me, I'm sick of people thanking me."_

"_Sure. I also wanted to tell your sister that she was right when she told me to stop being a coward and tell Astoria how I feel. But I heard that she's missing so I hope I'll have the chance to tell her another time?"_

"_She's not missing, she's on holiday. I'm sure she'll be back soon, Malfoy," Harry replied._

"_If you're uncertain then she's clearly not telling you much about her holiday," said Malfoy, raising an eyebrow. Harry thought that he knew the reason why she was gone. "Anyway, I should return to my mother, thank you again, Potter."_

It hurt Harry's head to think of all the areas they had yet to search for Daisy in Australia. Rubbing his hand over his face, he got up and apparated to the house they grew up in.

It was late. The house was cold and unwelcoming despite the fond memories. He ignored the letters on the doormat as he crossed the threshold. He ignored the dust on all the surfaces. He ignored the stagnant smell as he walked through the house towards his old bedroom to sleep.

Harry awoke to find his mother's ancient cat sitting on his chest.

"Hi Maggie, I sure am happy to see you," he said as he scratched behind her ears. "Come, on, let's see if there's any food for you."

He ambled down the stairs with Maggie winding between his feet to the hall where he saw, out of the corner of his eyes, a small pile of letters on the doormat. He bent down to pick them up before wandering into the kitchen. He cast spells to open the windows, scour the surfaces of dust, float a mug out from the cupboard and onto the now clean surface and put the kettle on.

He quickly found an almost empty box of cat food in the cupboard under the sink and gave it to Maggie, who gratefully rubbed her nose into Harry's hand before devouring every last morsel.

He sat on top of the kitchen table, legs swinging to and fro like he used to, and leafed through the letters whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. The third letter he came across seemed vaguely familiar and, after a moment of trying to understand, he realised – it was Daisy's handwriting.

He threw the remaining letters to the floor and tore open the envelope to read her letter. What he found was a disappointingly short letter but at least he finally knew she was ok.

All thoughts of tea forgotten, he raced from the room to the bottom of the garden where he apparated to the Burrow to show his surrogate family Daisy's letter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, so I'm obviously not J.K. so all the characters you recognise aren't mine, however much I wish they were. My dog chewed through my laptop cable and I don't know when I can get a new one so I may not be able to update very soon, depending on how long it takes for my laptop to lose battery. Please read and review - it really makes my day! :)**

Harry was at the Burrow helping Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Arthur and Molly prepare for dinner that evening when an owl flew through the window and landed on the table in front of him. It was Ariana, his new owl, and she was carrying another letter from Daisy.

They had been writing for 5 months now and after a while, Daisy had begun sending her letters back with Ariana rather than the muggle post.

He took the letter quickly from Ariana and motioned for Ginny, Ron and Hermione to follow him into the garden.

"We'll be right back mum," said Ginny.

Harry led them to sit under their favourite tree in the garden; he did generally show Molly and Arthur the letters he received from Daisy as they were practically family. However, Hermione, Ron and Ginny liked to read the letters while he did.

He opened the letter and read it aloud,

_Harry,_

_I hope you're alright? It's so hot here! It's strange that it's almost Christmas but it just keeps getting hotter! Although, I'm still really pale, why can't I tan? I'm glad everyone is happy and healthy, has the school term ended yet? (I'm not sure but I think you'll get this letter by the time term ends). Say hi to Ginny and Hermione for me, I hope their term went well. _

_I'm glad to hear that Auror training is going well, I'm sure Ginny will appreciate your new muscles! How are the other Weasleys? How are Bill and Fleur and their little baby Weasley?_

_I really miss Teddy – thank you so much for the photo, it really made my day. Tell him I love him, and I miss him, so much. I feel so bad for leaving him so soon after Remus and Tonks. Give him a big hug from me please._

_Anyway, love you lots Harry,_

_Daisy. _

"You should tell her to come home for Christmas, Harry," said Hermione once he had finished. "There is still a week left, there'll be plenty of time for her to receive the letter and get here."

"Yeah, but that's assuming that that she'll even want to come home, 'Mione," said Ron.

"I'll ask anyway I think. Gin, can you tell your mum that I'll be back down to help with dinner in about twenty minutes?" said Harry, kissing Ginny on the cheek.

When upstairs in the room he shared with Ron he penned a short letter to his sister saying,

_Daisy,_

_Hermione and Ginny got home yesterday which was great because we really missed them (and yes, Ginny liked the new muscles!). Teddy is well, he's shuffling everywhere on his bum and is driving Andromeda up the wall; you have to be really careful where you leave your wand because he keeps taking it and accidentally casting spells!_

_The Weasleys are fine, they're preparing for Christmas, and Bill and Fleur are fine too, Fleur's bump is getting bigger but they can't feel it moving yet. Angelina and Lee have moved in together and Neville and Luna split up, but it's ok, they're still friends. The shop is doing great! Ron has been helping George with it since the summer and Angelina sometimes pops in to help too. I think I should tell you that George has been sober since you left, Daisy. He's much better and he's really coping well._

_Anyway, I was wondering if you would come home for Christmas? Even just for a day or two, you don't even have to stay at the Burrow if you don't want to, I just miss you Daisy and I'd like to spend Christmas with you._

_Let me know, I hope you're ok,_

_Love Harry._

He gave the letter to Ariana and watched as she flew into the distance.

When he arrived downstairs he saw that George had arrived for dinner. He sat down on the sofa next to him and silently passed him Daisy's letter, telling him that he invited her home for Christmas but that he didn't hold out much hope.

George, having read the letter, turned to Harry and smiled sadly, "Thanks for telling me Harry. I appreciate it a lot."

He gave the letter back to Harry, who put it in his pocket before patting George on the shoulder and returning to the kitchen to help with dinner. Harry had long since forgiven George for his actions, having seen his regret and his determinations to not only find Daisy but to stay sober. They had given up looking for her when her first letter arrived as they at least knew she was safe.

George sighed and stared into the fire; he didn't hold out much hope on Daisy coming home for Christmas either but he couldn't help that his chest got a little lighter and his hands got a little sweaty at the possibility of seeing her again.

* * *

Daisy was in her flat three days later when Harry's owl, Ariana, flew through the window. She couldn't help but wonder what the neighbours would think if they ever saw the small brown owl flying through her kitchen window.

Giving Ariana a bowl of water and some food, she took the letter and sat on the sofa to read it; she wasn't surprised that Harry had asked her to come home for Christmas – in fact she had been expecting it. But it was a surprise to hear that George was still sober; Harry had told her when they first started writing to each other that he was trying to change she hadn't really believed that he would. She was impressed.

She desperately missed Teddy and was saddened to hear that he had grown so much since she left; of course, it was inevitable but she still felt awful for not being there for her godson.

Despite this, she wasn't sure if she was ready to go home yet. She loved it here; she loved her friends, her job, and her tiny flat. She loved the beach just five minutes away, the town, and the sweltering weather. But it wasn't home and she knew that.

Looking around her kitchen she realised that all the reasons why she had stayed away were stupid now. George was sober, which likely meant that he was coping well. Harry had moved on and started to focus on his career. The Weasleys were coping well and preparing for the arrival of their first grandchild.

With a smile she jumped down from the table and half-skipped to her bedroom whilst using her wand to make boxes appear. She began to pack all the things she would keep into the boxes and made a pile of things she would give to Sally, Holly and Meg.

After an hour of this, she had to get ready for what was now to be her last shift at work. She got changed and thought about how she would tell Sally that she was leaving.

* * *

"What do you mean you're going home?" shouted Sally at the end of their shift. They were walking along the beach towards a small bench where they sometimes sat to eat ice-cream after work.

"Well, my brother asked me to come home for Christmas and I realised that I shouldn't really have stayed away for so long; it just kind of hit me, you know? I miss my brother and my godson, Teddy, and I really miss my friend Hermione. And besides, you've been telling me to go home for ages now, you can hardly moan at me!" said Daisy, linking her arms through Sally's.

"I know I have but I wasn't expecting you to just suddenly agree!" Sally laughed. "Will you come back to visit us?"

"Sure, I'll come back all the time, Sal, there is no getting rid of me. Maybe we should go out tonight, with Holly and Meg, as a goodbye thing?" she asked.

"That sounds great, Daze, I'll ring them in a minute."

They sat down on the bench and looked out towards the horizon – Daisy really did love it here.

"Oh, I almost forgot, it will be too difficult to take all my things with me so I have some stuff to give to you all, I might give it to you all tomorrow," said Daisy.

"Why? When are you leaving? Have you booked a flight already?" asked Sally, eyes wide and suddenly clinging to Daisy's arm tightly.

"The day after tomorrow and yeah, I booked the flight straight away," she replied. It was only a small lie – of course she couldn't really tell her that she would be using a portkey to get home could she?

"Well, I'll just have to make sure you have lots of fun tonight and tomorrow then won't I? We wouldn't want you to forget us, eh?" she said laughing.

Daisy saw how the corners of Sally's eyes crinkled when she laughed. She saw the dimples in her cheeks deepen and her eyes shine in the sun.

"I'll never forget you Sally. You've been a great friend to me."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi, so I really hope this has worked, I had to type the first few paragraphs on 'notepad' and then save it and edit it on here as the ancient computer I'm using instead of my laptop has no Microsoft Word! Anyway I hope it's worth it because I don't know when I'll be able to post the last chapter (that's right, the last one is after this!)! :)**

**I am obviously not J.K and therefore none of the characters apart from Daisy belong to me :)**

England was cold.

Daisy shivered violently as she got up from where she landed, wiping the snow from her now wet jeans. She hated travelling by portkey at the best of times - let alone travelling from Australia. She brushed the remaining snow off her clothes as she stood up to face her childhood home.

She raked her hazel eyes over the snow covered cottage; from the tall tree she used to climb to the thatched roof, and she smiled. She had forgotten how beautiful her home was.

She walked up the garden path, noticing as she did so that the protective enchantments surrounding the house had been reinforced since her parents' death. The path was slippery with ice and she found herself grateful that she had sent her belongings home ahead of her to her bedroom so that she didn't have to carry them.

She stopped at the front door, hesitating for a moment as her uncertainty gripped her. The last time she had been in this house, her parents and Harry had been with her.

She took a breath and pushed the door open before quickly stepping inside - it was too cold to be dithering on the doorstep. She shook her arms out to get the snow off her coat and turned to take off her shoes and coat.

"Daisy?"

Daisy turned to see Harry standing by the kitchen door with a look of pure shock etched upon his face.

She smiled and said, "Hey brother," before rushing over to hug him tightly. After a second he responded by enthusiastically hugging her close to his chest.

"I didn't think you would come," he breathed into her ear.

"I forgot to reply, I just started packing," she whispered back.

He laughed and was suddenly lifting her up and swinging her round so that her legs swung around behind her. When he finally put her back down they were both dizzy and they laughed breathlessly as they hugged once more.

Harry leaned back to examine his sister and placed his hands on her shoulders. It had been a shock when he saw her standing by the front door, initially assuming that he was dreaming. She looked different, but very much the same at the same time. Her hair was still a vivid red and cut so that it brushed her shoulders. Her glasses were still slightly crooked and she was still slightly shorter than him. She was still pale, despite having spent five months in the sun but Harry thought she looked very different.

After a moment he realised what it was; she was glowing - her eyes were shining and she was smiling widely, making her dimples appear more defined than ever in her flushed cheeks. Harry thought she looked happy.

Daisy thought she might burst when she saw her brother, she was so extraordinarily happy to see him. As he leaned back to examine her she did the same.

His black hair, so much like their father's, was slightly longer but was as messy as ever. She could feel that the muscles in his arms and chest were more defined as he hugged her. He smiled widely, which made his eyes crinkle behind his glasses, the light reflecting the green like emeralds. He looked fit to burst, he seemed to happy, so healthy, so carefree.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" he finally asked, taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen.

"I'd love one, thanks."

Harry switched the kettle on manually before using is wand to summon two mugs, two teabags and two spoonfuls of sugar and sitting opposite his sister at the kitchen table.

"It's the strangest sensation, Harry, to be in such a hot climate one minute and then to be covered in snow in the next minute. I forgot how cold it is here!" said Daisy, laughing. Harry laughed too, though it had less to do with Daisy being particularly funny at that moment than to do with her finally being home.

"So, did you miss me?" she asked lightly.

"Yes, everyday," Harry replied simply.

This made Daisy feel guilty for staying away for so long. She put her mug back on the table and snaked her hand across the table to touch Harry's hand.

"I missed you too," she whispered. "Everyday. But I had to go - I wasn't happy and I needed to... I don't know... have some time alone again. It felt as if I had forgotten who I was."

"Are you happy now?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes, I feel much happier."

"Good, you do look better. Do you still have those dreams or have hey gone now?"

Daisy gripped his hand tighter as she responded, her voice still barely above a whisper.

"I still have hem - not every night, but yes, I do still have them. Just as I'm sure that you still have your nightmares."

Harry looked into his sister's eyes,the eyes he knew better than anyone's - better than Ginny's, even - and he knew that she wasn't lying. She was genuinly happy, despite everything.

They spent the afternoon laughing and joking and catching up on everything that had happened to the both of them in the five months since Daisy left.

After having talked for several hours, Daisy turned to her brother and said, "There's something I need to do. What will you be doing tonight? Can I meet you?"

"Of course you can, I'll most likely be at the Burrow for Molly's 'Christmas Eve Dinner' - apparently it's tradition. You can meet me there if you want. Or we can stay here for tonight?" Harry said quickly. He was so desperate for Daisy to stay that he would probably have agreed to anything she wanted. But she just laughed.

"Harry, I'm not going anywhere, relax! I sold my flat in Australia - the only way I'm going back there is on holiday to see my friends. I can meet you at the Burrow; I want to see everyone."

"Brilliant! Andromeda and Teddy will be at the Burrow for Christmas so you'll see them too!"

"Good, I've missed my little man!" siad Daisy worriedly, thinking about her baby godson and how much he would have changed.

"Will you be alright, doing whatever it is you're doing?" Harry asked. He thought she might be going to see George but he didn't want to say it outright, figuring that he'd find out soon enough.

"I'll be fine Harry! You need to relax, brother. I'll see you tonight."

And with one last hug and kiss on the cheek she put on her coat again and stepped into the cold air outside to apparate.

* * *

George was getting ready to close the shop. It had been a particularly busy day in Diagon Alley as everybody was doing last minute Christmas shopping. He had sent Ron and Verity home an hour previously, bidding Verity a Merry Christmas and telling Ron that he would be at the Burrow later in the evening.

He checked the clock once more: dead on six o'clock. He went to turn the sign to 'closed' and lock the door when a flash of red amid the flurry of snow outside caught his attention.

George blinked several times in shock. Once certain that his mind was not actually playing tricks on him he turned to take something from the shelf behind him and stepped out into the cold snow outside.

The snow was whipping their hair across their faces as he walked towards her, naked arms layered with goosebumps from the wind.

When he was sure that she would not disappear he stopped, just in front of her, and held out his hand. In it was a fake wand, a product that she had originally designed.

Daisy smiled and took the fake wand from George and flicked it once, suddenly finding herself holding a rubber chicken instead of a wand.

She laughed.

She laughed despite the cold. She laughed despite the ache she felt inside for George. She laughed despite the grief she still felt for his lost twin and her best friend, Fred.

And when she looked up to meet his eyes she found that he was laughing too.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street to the shop and locked the door behind them.

"It's so bloody cold!" she cried, which only made George laugh harder, although he didn't know why.

He had missed the sound of her voice.

"When did you get back?" he asked, positive that there would be time for more questions later.

"A couple of hours ago, I spent the afternoon with Harry," she replied.

They were staring openly at each other, drinking each other in.

Daisy thought that George looked healthy; his eyes were shining and his cheeks were fuller and flushed. He was clean and shaven and seemed steady on his feet - all good signs.

George thought that Daisy looked healthy; there were no bags under her eyes and her skin was clear and rosy, though still pale. She fit her cothes better and held herself the way she used to. She seemed happy to see him, which struck him as odd.

"Daisy, what I said to you, I didn't -"

"You didn't mean it, I know you didn't George. You were drunk, angry and grieving - not a good mix," she said. She laughed, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, still looking into her eyes.

"Thank you."

He continued to stare hungrily at her, drinking her in - afraid that at any moment she might turn around and leave him again.

"You look better," said Daisy, for the silence was beginning to overwhelm her.

"I stopped drinking," he said quickly. "I stopped drinking completely. I buckled down and I'm focusing on the shop. I go home every couple of days to see the family too.

Daisy smiled, she already knew this but she was happy to hear how proud he sounded.

"I know George - Harry told me."

"You asked about me?"

"Not exactly, I asked him about all of you and he told me about you too," Daisy said. She was smiling hesitantly at him and grasping her hands together as if in prayer.

"How long are you back for." asked George quietly, little frightened of the answer.

"For good," she replied simply. She watched as George's face lit up and he smiled brilliantly.

"Good - I mean, that's good - great, even, I missed you - well, we all did, mum especially! She wouldn't stop going on about you - not that it was annoying, because it wasn't, I did it too, it's just -"

"George, you're rambling," Daisy interrupted. "How about you invite me upstairs for a drink and we can talk things over?"

"Sure, ladies first," he said, bowing to her and gesturing towards the stairs.

"Why thank you kind sir," she said, laughing as she passed him.

It was natural, the way they behaved together. Although there was an undercurrent of tension, that was only to be expected, and Daisy and George were hopeful that they would be able to move past it as they climbed the stairs to George's flat.

* * *

Harry arrived at the Burrow feeling better than he had felt for a while. He was smiling to himself as he walked through the door where he was met by Ron and Hermione.

"You look happy," Hermione observed.

She looked at Harry suspiciously while Ron, who was confused at first, suddenly smiled.

"Have you got my Christmas present?" he asked, sounding like an excited little child.

"Better," said Harry. "Daisy's home - she's gone to see George I think."

"She's home?" shrieked Hermione.

Harry shushed her quickly as Ron laughed and said, "It's about time, when's she coming here?"

"I don't know exactly what time but she said she'd be here for dinner tonight. Just don't tell anyone yet, it'll be a surprise."

Harry led his best friends upstairs to the room he shared with Ron for it was too cold to talk outside. They locked the door behind them in order to speak privately.

"She's back," Harry said, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"We need to make sure this Christmas is fantastic, a true celebration," cried Hermione excitedly.

"It will be," said Harry.

* * *

Daisy and George were sitting on George's sofa, facing each other. Daisy had her legs curled up underneath her and her head was resting on her left hand while George spoke.

They had spent the past hour like this; George sitting cross-legged, apologising and explaining how he had changed and how their family and friends had coped too. Daisy told him all about the life she had in Australia, her friends, her job, her flat, but how glad she was to be home. They were having such a great time, it was almost as if the past five months hadn't happened.

Almost.

George sighed - he could see how distant Daisy was; it was as if she was hiding herself away before he could hurt her again.

He reached out a hand to squeeze hers gently.

Daisy looked up and met his eyes steadily.

"I'm sorry, George," she said quietly. "I'm trying."

"I know you are... I need to ask you something," he said suddenly.

Daisy nodded her assent.

"Do you still love me?" George asked bluntly.

They sat there for a moment, gauging each other's reactions. It was clear that George was desperate, 'but then', thought Daisy, 'so am I'.

"I never stopped loving you."

George smiled like a drowning man who had just been thrown a lifeline. Daisy squeezed George's hand in return and looked directly into his eyes.

She saw that he was staring right back at her, his beautiful brown eyes shiny with unshed tears. He was smiling widely so the skin around his eyes crinkled and his laughter lines deepened.

She leaned forwards, hesitant but confident both at the same time. Conflicting emotions raged inside her but of one thing she was absolutely certain - she never wanted to live without this man again.

He closed the gap between them and kissed her, softly at first, until she moved her hand out of his and into his bright ginger hair, pulling him closer.

They lost themselves in the kiss; it was like finding their home once more and they were both hopelessly desperate not to lose it again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to those that have favourited, alerted and reviewed my story, it really makes me so happy to see that people like it! And it really makes it feel worthwhile, I never shown my stories to anyone so you guys are always the first to read them. This is the last chapter of this story and I made it a happy ending because I just love them :)**

**I don't own Harry Potter but I do own Daisy :)**

**Enjoy,**

**PotterNerd94**

"Right, dinner is ready!" called Molly Weasley, the matriarch of the Weasley family. She clapped her hands to hurry her children along.

"Oh, but George isn't here yet," said Harry quickly as Ginny pulled him up from the sofa. He was really thinking about Daisy too but he, Ron and Hermione had decided to keep her return a surprise.

"That's alright, I'm sure he will be here soon," said Molly. She chanced a glance at her magical clock which showed that George was still at work.

The family gathered around the large dining table – Molly and Arthur sat at opposite ends with Bill and Fleur sat next to Charlie, Percy and Andromeda. There was an empty space at the end, between Charlie and Arthur, for George. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Teddy were sat on the other side of the table. Teddy was gurgling in his highchair and had turned his normally turquoise hair black to match Harry's.

It was a long established tradition for the Weasleys to have a large family meal on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day and Boxing Day. However, Molly couldn't help but feel a little sad that so much had irrevocably changed; Fred wasn't here, neither was Remus or Tonks, or Andromeda's husband Ted, or James, Lily and Sirius. Even Daisy wasn't here and Molly couldn't help but feel utterly guilty.

But then she saw Bill lovingly pat Fleur's small pregnancy bump. She saw Hermione blush as Ron kissed her on the cheek. She saw Harry and Ginny laughing with Teddy and she suddenly felt overwhelmingly lucky to still have her family – however damaged it may be.

Arthur gave thanks to Molly and started to dish out the food whilst everyone helped themselves.

They were halfway through their meal when the sound of someone arriving by Floo interrupted all conversations. The family looked up expectantly.

Molly called out, "George?"

"Yeah, it's me, mum," he replied as he stopped at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Well come and sit down next to Charlie, Sweetheart," she said. She stood to pile food onto his plate when George interrupted her.

"Actually mum, you'll have to set another place at the table, I've brought someone with me," he said. At Molly's look of confusion he reached behind him to pull Daisy into view.

She smiled shyly.

Ginny and Hermione shrieked and started to run towards her but Molly got to Daisy first and was quickly enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug. Everyone stood to hug her, with Harry, Molly, Arthur, Ginny and Andromeda hugging her extra hard and Bill and Charlie slapping her back enthusiastically.

"What took you so long?" asked Harry, eyes shining with humour.

Daisy laughed at her brother as Arthur made a space for her at the table. She sat on Teddy's other side so that he was sandwiched between her and Harry.

Daisy glanced nervously at Andromeda and, upon seeing her smiling encouragingly she lifted Teddy from his highchair. She was a little nervous as she held him gently and gazed at him for a moment; it was a little daunting to see how much he had grown.

As Daisy watched, Teddy giggled and changed his hair colour from Harry's dark black to Daisy's deep red. Daisy laughed happily and held Teddy close to her, kissing the top of his head and breathing him in – she really had missed him.

The family had been watching the reunion and all was silent until Bill spoke.

"So when did you get back?" he asked from across the table. Molly began to pile beef and roast potatoes onto Daisy's plate while everyone got resettled into their seats.

"I got home at around lunchtime and I spent the afternoon with Harry – actually, I'm surprised he didn't tell you I was back," she said, looking at her brother from over the top of Teddy's head.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "It was a surprise for everyone, although I did tell Ron and Hermione – I was excited," he said.

Ginny smacked his arm, "You didn't tell me!"

"Sorry, love," mumbled Harry.

Molly passed Daisy's full plate of food down the table to her and she put Teddy back into his highchair.

"So what were you doing with George?" asked Bill, wagging his eyebrows cheekily at Daisy.

Charlie laughed loudly.

"Reconciling," she said, cheeks blushing a similar colour to her hair, "We had a lot to talk about."

"But you _are_ back together?" asked Ginny, looking worried.

George and Daisy nodded and grinned simultaneously and Ginny clapped her hands happily.

"Well, they weren't _not_ going to get back together were they? They're perfect for each other," said Hermione.

Daisy blushed again and George smiled widely at his girlfriend until she looked up and caught him staring; she grinned too.

Arthur watched his son as he watched his girlfriend. He was happy to see George interact so easily with everyone, it had been a while since he had looked this happy. And looking over to Daisy, who had sat on his other side, Arthur couldn't help but feel a swell of love for the girl who loved his son; the girl who had helped his family without asking for anything in return; the girl who had once trained all the gnomes in their garden to dance the waltz; the girl he considered a second daughter.

Arthur looked up to see his wife smiling happily at him and he knew she was feeling the same thing.

* * *

Later in the evening the family was gathered in the living room relaxing after the large meal. All night they had been asking Daisy questions about her life in Australia. At one point, Daisy had had to reassure Ginny that her Australian friends were _definitely not better than her_, much to the amusement of all those listening.

Andromeda had put Teddy to bed hours ago, after he had played with Daisy and Harry on the floor for several hours and thoroughly tired them out.

Daisy was now sat on the sofa, curled up with George as she told Arthur about various muggle customs and objects.

"And the muggle money is different in Australia than it is in England? That's so peculiar!" he exclaimed.

Daisy chuckled and felt George laughing too. Her head was now resting on his chest and she was beginning to feel tired. She snuggled her head closer to him so that she was almost sitting on his lap and her ear was pressed against his chest; she could hear his heartbeat and the rhythm, combined with the rhythm of him softly stroking her hair, was so soothing that she was steadily drifting into unconsciousness.

Harry had enjoyed this evening far more than he originally thought he would although he kept watching George and his sister. He watched the way Daisy laughed when George did and how he was constantly touching her arm or her hand or her hair as if he needed to remind himself that she really was here.

Harry had watched as his surrogate visibly relaxed when she arrived during dinner earlier and how Daisy hadn't once stopped smiling as the evening wore on.

He stood from where he was sitting on the floor with Ginny and moved to sit in the armchair next to George and Daisy, who was now asleep in George's arms.

"George, I need to talk to you," Harry said quietly.

George smiled wryly at him, "I know, go ahead and say it, Harry."

Harry nodded before beginning to speak in hushed tones.

"She's my sister and my best friend. I have taken advantage of her my whole life because I never fully appreciated how lucky I am to have her always support me. She isn't perfect, far from it, in fact sometimes I can't stand to be around her because she just winds me up, but I know I love her, always – no matter what."

Harry paused, looking down at Ginny, then Daisy and then back to George before talking once more.

"I suppose you feel the same way about Ginny, except I've never been without Daisy. If you hurt her again I can promise you that your family will not be able to stop me from hurting you – you're a friend and Merlin knows Daisy loves you, so don't hurt her again. Do you understand? I would hate to have to show you some of the tricks I learnt from growing up with the Marauders," he finished with a smirk.

George agreed. He understood that Harry was deadly serious and honestly, the thought of being on the receiving end of his anger was scary – though not as scary as Daisy. Nevertheless, he did not take Harry's words lightly though nor did he need them; he would never hurt Daisy again.

Ginny came to sit on Harry's lap and Ron challenged Hermione to a game of chess. Bill and Fleur were talking with Charlie and Percy and Andromeda and Molly sat, half asleep, listening to Celestina Warbeck on the radio. Arthur sat in his armchair with his eyes closed. He had heard the exchange between Harry and George and although it should have been sad, or maybe touching, Arthur just found it amusing – James and Sirius would be proud of Harry's protective behaviour.

Daisy, however, had been close to sleep when Harry came over to speak to George. She had listened to the exchange with rapt attention and had almost laughed out loud when Harry threatened George with a Marauders' prank. She felt a rush of love and affection not only for her brother but also for the man she lay upon.

She loved George Weasley.

It didn't matter that they had been separated for five months. It didn't matter that they had hurt each other as well as others. It didn't matter that there were people missing or even that the war was over. This Christmas would be a celebration.

They were celebrating the triumph of love over evil, life over death.

They were happy.


	9. Chapter 9 epilogue

**A/N: Firstly, I would like to thank lightbabe and TheGoldenHairedMockingjay for the lovely reviews, they really made my day! :)**

**I wasn't sure about whether or not to do an epilogue but a lovely reader said that they would like to read one, so this slightly cheesy and slightly fluffy epilogue is dedicated to the wonderful lightbabe, because of all the lovely reviews and because everyone loves some cheese and fluff :)**

It was late.

Too late for someone to be arriving by Floo.

Harry untangled his arms from Ginny's and got up quietly, being careful to avoid the creaky floorboard so as not to wake his pregnant wife. He crept downstairs, with his wand held tight in his hand, out of habit rather than actual fear. However, before he could enter his living room to see who had arrived he was met in the hall by a panicked George.

"Harry, its Daisy... I didn't know what to do, I panicked... she... the babies... Oh Merlin, Harry, help me," he said in a rush.

Harry ran his hand through his hair worriedly, still sleepy but aware that it was clearly an emergency, and said, "What's happened?"

"The babies are coming," replied George.

Harry was suddenly very awake.

"Is she at St. Mungo's?" he asked quickly.

"No, she's at home."

"What? Are you telling me you left your wife at home alone just to tell me she's in labour? Go take her to St. Mungo's! I'll gather the family and meet you there," said Harry loudly, not bothering to stage whisper anymore as he would have to wake Ginny anyway.

George suddenly grinned like an idiot and said, "Oh right, yeah... She's going to kill me," before turning back to the fireplace in the living room to Floo back home.

Harry heard a shout of "The Den" as he ran back upstairs to wake Ginny and get dressed.

Forty minutes later Harry was leading a small selection of the family through St. Mungo's to the correct ward. It had taken a while to get everyone awake and dressed in time to bring them all to the hospital. First, he had had to wake a cranky Ginny and then Floo to the Burrow to wake Molly and Arthur, then Ron and Hermione's house before picking Teddy and Andromeda up and then returning home to Ginny where the family was gathered to Floo to St. Mungo's together. It had been quite a feat and Harry was secretly relieved that he hadn't been cursed by any of his various relatives – the Weasleys were not known for their sweet disposition when being awoken from slumber.

They had finally reached the birthing ward where a very star-struck healer led them to Daisy's private room – apparently 'celebrities/war heroes' deserved only the best thought Harry wryly as the healer bowed deeply before leaving.

"Seriously, I'm about to give birth and she's bowing to you?" called Daisy angrily from her bed. Harry smiled at his sister, who was holding George's hand tightly, and rolled his eyes at her.

"So how's it going?" he asked nonchalantly as he approached them.

"Bloody brilliant," Daisy retorted sarcastically.

"Well, I can see your temperament has only worsened a little bit, you're clearly not very good at this," said Harry, who laughed until he received punch in the arm from Ginny and a pillow in the face from Daisy. All the men in the room, excluding Arthur, laughed loudly, though Arthur was only just managing to control himself from fear of being told off by his wife.

Molly began to fuss over Daisy as another contraction came, and then another, and then another. After another thirty minutes the contractions were only 4 minutes apart so the head healer told everyone to leave and wait in the family room.

Harry kissed Daisy on the cheek and bade her good luck before patting George's shoulder and leaving them to join the others.

It was a very tense hour and forty-five minutes.

Molly had begun pacing almost immediately and hadn't stopped despite Arthur's best efforts to calm her. Ron was half-asleep on Hermione's shoulder and Hermione was chewing on her bottom lip agitatedly. Teddy was asleep in Andromeda's arms, dribbling on her sleeves as only a four year old could. Harry's hands were shaking - he was so worried about his sister – and Ginny was doing her best not to panic – in two months, this would be her.

Eventually, the first healer returned to give them the good news...

"Mr and Mrs Weasley have had two healthy babies and would like for you all to see them now," she said, blushing as she looked shyly at Harry.

As the family re-entered Daisy's room, led by Molly and Arthur, closely followed by Harry, followed by everyone else, they were greeted with sounds of two babies crying simultaneously.

Daisy was lying in bed with one infant wriggling in her arms and George was sat next to her on the edge of the bed with the other infant in his arms.

Molly instantly began cooing over her new grandchildren as Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Andromeda and a now wide-awake Teddy spread around the bed to get a good view of the tiny new additions to the family.

"They're beautiful," cooed Ginny from beside Harry.

Daisy looked up at George before facing her family.

"This one here," she said, lifting her arms slightly to display the child resting there, "is a boy, the eldest twin by three minutes. George is holding our daughter, she's slightly smaller. Would you like to know their names?"

Molly already had tears in her eyes but George suspected that they were about to flow a lot more freely.

"Our little lady is called Roxanne," said George quietly. "And our little man is called Fred."

Molly gasped and Arthur put his hand on his son's shoulder in an attempt to convey what he couldn't say with words for fear of sobbing with what his wife called 'happy tears'.

"That's perfect," cried Molly in a stage-whisper so as not to wake her new grandchildren. She could not imagine anything more incredible than her son and daughter-in-law naming their newborn son after their lost brother and friend.

Her granddaughter was beautiful, with small baby curls that were the colour of George's bright ginger hair and pudgy little fingers tucked into her mouth. Her grandson was astonishing too, with deep red hair identical to Daisy's and small rosy lips pressed against his small thumb.

Harry was quiet; he was staring at his new niece and nephew like they were the most incredible pieces of treasure. Daisy turned from Molly to watch her brother and was surprised to find that his emerald eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

"Do you want to know their middle names?" she asked, to which Harry, having finally noticed that she was staring at him, nodded his head.

"Fred's middle name is Remus and Roxanne's middle name is Dora. I figured Tonks would kill us if we used Nymphadora, so we shorted it!" she said, laughing and then shooting an apologetic look towards Andromeda, only to find her laughing happily.

Harry laughed too and asked if he could hold one. Daisy obliged, carefully passing her small son to Harry. She watched them for a moment before turning to face her husband. Upon seeing him smiling encouragingly, she turned back to face their family and said, "Harry and Ginny, you'll both obviously be a doting aunt and uncle; you'll be brilliant parents too. But we were thinking, Ron and Hermione... would you be godparents?"

Ron and Hermione stood frozen; they were stunned, having not expected it at all.

"Us?"

Daisy laughed, "Yes, Ron, you."

"We would be honoured, thank you so much!" said Hermione.

Harry passed Fred to Hermione and George passed Roxanne to Ron so they could be introduced to their new godchildren.

George leaned into Daisy and kissed her neck softly. She smiled happily and then turned to face Teddy.

She was glad to see that he was gazing at Fred and Roxanne and smiling happily and she opened her arms to him before saying, "Can I have a hug Teddy?"

Teddy scrambled down the bed to sit on Daisy's other side with his legs resting across her lap and he clung to his godmother tightly.

Daisy hugged her godson tightly and kissed the top of his head and she realised that, though she obviously loved her newborn children very much, so much that she felt she would burst, she didn't feel about Teddy any differently to how she felt about Fred and Roxanne – Teddy was a son to her.

She pulled Teddy onto her lap, wincing at the pain and discomfort caused, and said, "Teddy, these are our children, Fred and Roxanne. They will grow up with you and they will love you like a big brother because that's exactly what you are, their big brother. Is that ok?"

Teddy smiled widely, showing his small baby teeth and lisped, "I'll be the best big brother ever. Promise."


End file.
